So you have found my blog…. It’s one without any pictures and I would love to hear your comments once you’ve read it

What’s your favorite thing about yourself?

A bit of a new style for me but I’m gonna give this a go and see if I get any responses it’s a simple question and I’m just curious if you can answer below in the comments

what is your favourite thing about you

I don’t need to know what other people think of you and I don’t even need to know what you think of each other it would just be nice to have somewhere positive where people can say for example that they are friendly, they are honest they are whatever positive value they think they are….

I’m going to put this across all the categories and all the tags of my blog, the good ones and the bad ones and I’m curious to see what comes back.

When you are in Felpham in West Sussex and you’re looking for breakfast there is only really one choice

On a Sunday morning when it’s nice and sunny and it’s an easy morning of not doing very much there is a great choice in felpam in West Sussex of places that you can go for breakfast and over the many years of living in this part of the world I’ve probably been to most of them and I would say in my opinion deligo is probably the best

They offer a decent selection of breakfasts, they do the full English breakfast they have vegan options they have vegetarian options they have lighter options they do a great selection also of coffees teas and with regards to sandwiches and cheer batteries their choice is amazing

You can see their menu and they’re opening hours and get their contact details if you want them from this webpage https://linktr.ee/deligoeatery

On my last two visits I have gone for the lighter breakfast option of salmon and scrambled eggs which has been nice and on each time I think I’ve had a cappuccino coffee with it

The prices as you would expect food is really really nice the venue is not huge but it has seating outside and I would say if you’re in this little village on a Sunday it’s well worth the visit in fact if you’re in this little village any day of the week it’s well worth a visit

Just too add that these opinions are my own and I have not been paid or had any sponsorship for this blog

Trying out “the buttery” in Chichester…..impressed.

As  anybody that follows this blog will know I don’t generally go much out of my hometown but today I’m in Chichester in West Sussex . As I am told that a change is as good as a rest but obviously on a cold spring wintery morning there is a need for some warm

The last time I was here which was probably in the last millennium this place was called the crypt but now it seems to be under new ownership which isn’t surprising really

The obligatory cappuccino coffee and nice hot drink for my amazing wife, for some reason it is the time of day to have a scone and I have breakfast coming. And for those that follow me you will know I’m currently going carb free so yes I have a carb reduced breakfast.

As I’m not yet brave enough to blog live I suppose I should just say that I’ve had a lovely breakfast I’ve got a nice cup of coffee to finish, service was excellent and I will come back probably next time I’m in town. Thank you very much to the young lady who served us, I did know her name but I won’t publish it

The only very cold fly in the ointment would not be an issue in the summer…. But in a cold crypt. I guess the keeping coats on is ok… Even though we were next to a radiator that wasn’t on it was a bit chilly…must be to make the drinks feel warmer ..

Thank you www.thebuttery.org

Just to confirm, these opinions are mine and this blog was not sponsored

When you go back to a place, hoping it’s improved……

As me and Mrs Oldman Leslie were out doing a bit of shopping to get the parts to finish off the amazing decorating at home after we had www.freshcolours.co.uk in to do some painting. We made the pilgrimage to the hard water store. Arranged the parts we needed to get.

Typical winter afternoon🥶 in West Sussex so we thought about popping Into Costa coffee on the shripney road in bignor Regis

Nothing wrong with the coffee. But the service is a different matter

All we wanted was 2 drinks, and for one of the team to drop it over to us when ready. as im a little wobbly when carrying trays

I was just a little surprised that whilst I was sat waiting for our drinks to come over .to see the drinks go to another table and having waited 10-minutes when I went up to the counter to see where they were the staff just looked very blankly at me and made no apology at all

I then asked another one of the staff if I could have a paper copy feedback form to complete so that I can get a response from Costa and unfortunately at time of writing this hasn’t been given to me either

So as I mentioned there is no problem with the way the product tastes but basically has anyone who is followed by Brian eno it’s all about the service and this place that doesn’t seem to matter

Foot note … When we left, I asked again form the feedback form and I was told quite abruptly that any feedback I had I should leave online

So here is my feedback if you want nice coffee and great atmosphere and people who actually want your business in bognor Regis then head to the high Street to the London road coffee shop which is amazing and if you just want to sit and have something served at you which might be drinkable then Costa coffee is where to go.

Just a bit of an update for lockdown really….

So just because we cant all go to the restaurants that we want to during Lock down and experience just how good they are. And we cant see or meet up with our friends. Focus on what we can all do . We went to this place before lockdown for sunday dinner , and its fair to say it definetly didnt disapoint then.

Today at lunch time , a knock on the door from one of my relations with a free Lunch . Well we all know there is no such thing as a free lunch. But today for me , there was …..

A Decent selection, I went for the Southern fried Chicken Baguette, My visitor had the prawn One. Mine was lovely, I will adnit to ” #PrawnEnvy ” and I have no idea how that many prawns stayed in the Baguette . But they did.

All the details are above, so if you are local to the village, give them a call

I’m pretty sure we will be back there before #lockdown2 ends

“A family recipe, handed down over the generations”…Mince Pies that are just a little bit Special

“A family recipe, handed down over the generations”..Now that is a statement that can make you think you are getting something that is going to be amazing….That Is going to have the sort of quality, or in this case taste, that is magnificent.Well,on the basis that I only blog about things that are really really good or terrible I think it’s fair to say that these particular products were or indeed are are lovely.

Not something that will save the planet, not something that will stop wars.And i hope its not too early to mention the ” C ” Word, maybe i’ll just say it quietly “Christmas”….

Put simply, and just in time for Christmas. A young lady making #mincepies to her grannies recipe.

Just for the record I paid for these cakes I’m very pleased that I did and if you want to buy some from the young lady that’s making them the details are here. ( Not the young ladies details ). You can work out prices with the ladies

And to add to that , 05/11/20 I went back and bought 2 more boxes as there are Gorgeous Apple pies available as well. I’m sure we will be having more before Christmas…

Who knew, finding such a cool place on a rainy day could cheer up the day. In a town I’ve never been to before….

In a town I’ve never been to before,on a rainy summer’s day in Ventnor.

We found a place, it looked quaint so we went straight in, off the street…

That’s brave for me.

What a find, and right on the prom

This one had a gorgeous suprise in it. A hunk of lemon meringue ice cream in the middle of a HUGE coffee

A huge slice of Victoria sponge for me, the age-old debate of “scone or scone” with my son a quiche and two hot chocolates for my wife and the family and I think the bill was about £13 pounds (UK) and the place is #dogfriendly. It’s just a shame that #Ventnor beach is not #doggyfriendly during the summer season

But, back to the coffee shop and wow what a coffee shop.what’s not to like.

Attentive staff, decent pricing. Just wish I’d found it sooner.

It’s on the prom in Ventnor on the Isle of Wight….

And it’s called,well I don’t actually know what it was called

Update from a cold winters night in west sussex 10/12/2020 Finally found the name of this amazing Place…

The Chocolatier

Metropole, Esplanade, Ventnor

Look them up on face Book to check they are open, and if you are passing , its well worth a visit

We were so impressed as we were walking through ventnor on my way back to the car I recommended them to another couple

This wasn’t under the #eoho scheme. We paid full price, I just thought you might like to give it a try if y’all are in Ventnor.

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What a great little find, I only wish we had found it earler – Flo’s Diner

So this is all about  an amazing little Diner that me and my family found when we were on our holiday this summer.

We stayed in New York state and I’m sure many of the native new yorkers would know of many many good places to eat however we didn’t go to many many places we went to a few and one of the best that we found was Flos Diner

It was a nice unassuming place a good service, amazing menu ( i had flos slop )  of great  food.well priced,clean tidy and basically what all the things I perceived an American diner should be.

Flo’s Diner advertises itself as the home of the”tencent coffee”  I tried the tencent coffee and it was just as nice as many that I paid £1 for £2 for in the UK.

This Diner was an absolute Gem of find and i only wish  that we had found it a lot earlier during our stay

we did pay for food we weren’t given anything the prices were good the food was amazing and if I am back  in the future I will definitely go back to Flos Diner

if you’re in that part of the world in New York state and it looking for a nice place to go and eat I would highly recommend Flos Diner

And if you are a new yorker and are wondering where this gem is:

3223 Rt 31, Canastota, NY

And if you are a naive ” UK holiday maker on  a trip in as you have seen this blog and fancy trying it , The hot sauce is exactly that “

Look & Sea Visitor Center Surrey Street Fisher mans Quay, Littlehampton – such a great place for a coffee, a meal and a base for a day in town

As a family  we a ” wheel chair  relation ” we found recently  and have used many times  the look & sea Centre  as its fairly local  to us. It has facilities for disabled access. good food at reasonable prices , a great view over the river and down  to the sea , friendly staff, in fact all that you would want in a restaurant. always best to book a  table in advance as  because its so good , it can get busy on sunny days. I am  not a blogger that has taken pictures  of the food I eat here, but as  I have never had a meal that was anything less that  lovely it  shouldn’t need pictures of the food

Full details of the look and sea  center  can be found on their page  here  Just for the record, i have not been paid for this blog, its just that I believe if a place or business offers good service then you tell people  about it

 

Cone heads ice cream parlour ,Oneida ,NY state What a great parlour

 

There must be many many ice cream shops in America and I cannot comment on any of the others however on a holiday to Oneida in New York State we found as a family that the Coneheads Ice cream parlour was absolutely amazing.

Such a massive choice of ice cream syrups flavours toppings and otherwise in any combination that you wanted as ice cream or indeed as a milkshake and to top it all off the pricing was pretty good as well

Well worth a visit if you are in this part of the world

The lady that served us was really helpful, even my son’s amazing choice when we told him could have what he wanted wasn’t a problem

I only wish we had discovered the place little earlier, we would have been back. If you want to get in contact then there are all the usual methods. Just tell them where you saw the review  and ask the lady how the Caribbean trip fund is  going

All the usual social media contacts

Just for the record, I have not been paid for this blog, it’s just that I believe if a place or business offers good service then you tell people  about it

 

Trying a new place..and a new question

Popped into dunelm today..just for a sneaky latte when the ” Old man Leslie” clan. Went shopping. Like everywhere else like this it has a coffee shop. Unlike a lot of other places the Barista was up to the question” can you make me a nice coffee of your design that you haven’t made before”

A strange request, but the result is gorgeous.

Although you can’t taste pictures….

Any how,if you are out rainy day shopping in this part of the world, Brunch, coffee, lunch or otherwise  i would say  it was worth a visit

Can comment on prices as Mrs ” oldmanleslie ” was treating me , but when its good, you tell people.

 

I cant even tell you what it was i had as i forgot to ask, its just to say that  it was refreshing to find a person  that was ” up for the challenge ”  and knew enough to make  ” a nice cup of coffee ”

I wonder if on the board one day they might put  ” awkward customers mystery coffee ” .

So when you ask……you definetly get – London road coffee shop, Bognor regis

I prefer to shop where possible at the independent stores in town, I guess if everyone did, and didn’t use the large chains all the time, we would be a better place, that s just my opinion….any way, as I have previously claimed to have found the best coffee and the best place to have it on the planet,

I had written off that side of my Blog. Until this morning when me and my long suffering wife were out in town and wanted a coffee as we had a few minutes spare …Only one place for it. And its a place that never disappoints Service is always good, the staff are really friendly, and the prices aren’t too bad either

So why Blog about a shop….

Well I like to be a challenge sometimes and I as I had my ” freebies ” from the loyalty cards, I d

decided to ask the barista ” can you make me a nice cup of coffee that you have never made before ” . Daunting when she said she had been there for 5 years …
What can I say, the lady took the challenge and made for me what she called a Vanilla Americano with a flat white top… simple enough I guess, but tasted lovely.

My recommendation if you are in Bognor on holidays, staying at #Butlin’s for a weekend, or is a local, just popped out for a few bits, in Bognor then it has to be… And for the record, although it was s freebie coffee from my card , I wasn’t ” given it ” . Its just that this place is so good

The London Road Coffee Shop

So what do you do , when you have had the Best of something in the world ……..?

Well. the TV   & media are telling us that  Autumn is here. all the stores  are selling Christmas goods already. and  Halloween is just around the corner….

So time to look back on a summer that was pretty good for  the oldmanleslie  clan.  And leaves us with only 2 problems

When  I run a blog that started off as ” the sneaky latte” and was supposed to give  a guide where to get the best  & avoid the worst. What can I do now I have had many trips to what was the BEST COFFEE SHOP IN THE WORLD  in my opinion

I guess everything  else will have to compare to it. Just for the record This place I mention, will respond to the ” please make me a nice cup of coffee” challenge that  most places  wont do ,  the response was to  give me   a peach latte so smooth that the peach is  at the bottom, un mixed  so I could  do it just as I wanted.

And then  when I asked for a drink to cool me down, not knowing that there was Iced latte available, I was so very surprised to see that out came the best vanilla iced latte I have ever had, with   just the right amount  of  pure hand-made vanilla ice cream in it, the perfect summer drink  .

So there in lies the problem,  I have now had the best coffee in the world,  many times, so I know its consistent, served excellently  and I know everything else will be second best now.

 

The second problem is  along the same lines.  When as a family you have had the privilege of  going to one of the best worlds best hotels ( acknowledged by some as the best  ) and had a peek at the sort of service that other places can only aspire to. What do you do to avoid disappointment  by comparison in  future

Just for the record, the hotel in question for the coffee  was    and it was the staff in the restaurant  IMPERIUM  that made meal time so  special and something to look forward to

 

My only other comment / picture as if it were needed is of what i consider to be the best hotel in the world, based on our experience as a family. the  staff can’t do enough  for you , there is an air of confidence in the place , and  every aspect of the time we had there was perfect  and without improvement

 

In answer to the title of the blog, simple …..work hard, save pennies and take the next generation of “oldmanLeslie’s if & when they arrive into the world ……that should give me a few years to look forward to it.

Fish Finger Sarnies & a root beer float …….So this ones an important Blog for me, Where to spend the hard earned Pennies

Don’t worry, oldmanleslie isn’t about to go and get  all serious, well not overnight any way. For the first time in my blog, there is conflict ., ( shock horror )

I’m based in  west Sussex, and this time  of year, we are blessed with a lot of sunshine, so days out , at the shops, on the beach, an evening stroll along an almost deserted prom ,
and yes that really is our local prom and the sunsets are that good

and at the end of the prom you find

The Lobster pot.

There are many reasons to go here  on a sunny day in summer, or for a refreshing  autumn stroll. And i have blogged  about it before 

One reason to go is the Amazing Fish Finger Sandwiches, that they do. I suppose i am ” not very wellinformedoldmanleslie” but i didn’t know you could get these…. so to find them on my doorstep was  a bit of a coup

Putting the Lobster-pot  aside for a moment, I was keen to  see what the good people at sparks yard had done to improve their offering  in Arundel. Now i know some bloggers only review freebies, well that’s not the way it works with “oldmanleslie”  its nice to get freebies of course, however  why should business  have to fork out for  opinions…..Any how  Back to the loft

Mrs Oldmanleslie and I Parked ” down by the river ” in Arundel, and had a nice stroll   along the banks of the river , up through  Arundel. avoiding the  multiple coach loads of students & visitors to the castle…. and there it was, clearly visible  from the end of Tarrant street

so now the facts, Easy access to the shop , although parking in Arundel needs looking at . easy  wheelchair access to all floors of the shop  and restaurant  via their own lift,  Always  clean inside.  Well refurbished  top floor restaurant that we tried to just pop into. we were soon asked if ” are you Chris ”  and shown to the reserved Table  by the window that they had ” reserved for us ”  I have to say Mrsoldmanleslie liked that ”  We were served well,  quickly but not  invasively . and  we were left to order our food. After a nice chat with what turned out to be one of the owners

 

” stop, Hammer time “

for the  first time as a blogger  i should have taken a picture of something i was about to consume , ( I didn’t )  so you will have to believe me that £2.50 for a drink  was the best value in a long time. Imported root beer that you can buy in the shop , used to make an ice cream float, with a curly straw, now that’s the taste of childhood .

A quick look down the menu for food, and there it was. The fish finger sandwich….. so apologies to Andrew and the team, I’m sure that everything else on the menu was fine, and maybe we will  be back soon to try it, however that’s a favourite with all us Leslie’s, so  there in lies the dilemma

Go for what you know, and now have a choice of venues that both serve excellent  food, or risk going off “Piste ” and getting something you don’t like ?

We are going to have to go back and find out i guess, it certainly wont be a hard choice and when a place is just that little bit too far away  to walk to, it makes it all the more special to be well looked after  by them.

So I can’t take credit for the images ( taken from the www)   and i cant  take credit for the effect on the waistline ( that’s  your responsibility

however Either way, if you are in west Sussex for holidays and looking . Just remember 

On the beach in Felpham = The lobster-pot

Shopping and  touristy things in Arundel  = Sparks yard  / The loft 

Either way ” the fish finger sandwiches are excellent,” and the root beer  just seals the decision  for me